This invention relates to high-quality, low-calorie frozen desserts and, more particularly, a frozen, non-aerated, low-solids, quiescently-frozen dessert which has a soft, non-brittle texture and an absence of a gummy or rubbery mouthfeel. The frozen confection composition of this invention is able to maintain its shape on a stick and possesses a pleasing texture and mouthfeel at freezer temperatures.
Frozen novelties is a product area which has undergone rapid expansion in recent years. The use of these products as ready-to-eat desserts or snack items is increasingly prevalent in the home environment. Most of these products are eaten directly from the freezer and are carried on a stick and packaged with a paper wrapper. The consumer merely removes and discards the wrapper, consumes the product, and discards the stick. No utensils or plates are used. Products based on gelatin, pudding, fruit juice or fruit and cream are among products which have recently been popularized.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,379 to Topalian et al. discloses dynamically frozen, aerated, gelatin containing products which can contain a variety of ingredients and which can possess a wide range of soluble solids. Due to dynamic freezing and resultant small ice crystal size, aeration and the selection and level of ingredients the Topalian patent produces a smooth, non-icy texture. These products are intended to be distinguished from non-aerated, quiescently-frozen products which possess a brittle, icy texture exemplified by conventional ice pop products. Ice pops have generally been considered to be of low quality due to their coarse, icy texture, their brittle nature which often leads to large pieces breaking away from the stick and their characteristic squeak which is exhibited when these products are bitten into.
Low-calorie frozen confections, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,441 to Wolkstein, are known in the art. This patent discloses the use of intensive sweeteners such as aspartame, as a sugar replacement and calls for the use of bulking agents, such as polydextrose, to make-up for lost sugar. The patent states that a mere replacement of sugar by aspartame results in a deleterious effect on the structure of the frozen confection, causing the mouthfeel to be inferior and an inferior product to result.